FC Bayern 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen: Player grades from DFB-Pokal defeat

FC Bayern faced Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal Round of 16 on Tuesday, and in this article I will give my player grades for Vincent Kompany's side.

FC Bayern Munich v Bayer 04 Leverkusen - DFB Cup: Round of 16
FC Bayern Munich v Bayer 04 Leverkusen - DFB Cup: Round of 16 | Daniel Kopatsch/GettyImages
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Konrad Laimer: B

I felt that he started the game somewhat shakily, but he eventually grew into his position and was one of the better players on the pitch. He committed a few loose passes that allowed the opposition to create chances and then got beat by Frimpong on a few occasions--most notably the red card offense--even though he seemed to have the run of Frimpong for the most part. He was able to use his speed to track back well, won the ball in a very good area in the 30th minute and created a good chance that he wasn't able to take, continued to make some strong forward runs that pushed Bayern forward and create some solid chances, showed good energy, and was solid in second half but was substituted out in the 73rd minute for Sacha Boey.

Dayot Upamecano: B

Dayot Upamecano was actually very solid in this match. He had a lot of strong defensive play, making some crunching tackles and clearing the ball out of the defensive third on numerous occasions. He played tough and used his body well, but he lost his cool for a minute and earned a yellow card for pushing Tapsoba, which made him become a little bit more cautious against the opposing offensive and made him a little bit timid. He was solid on corners and even had a chance at the very end of this game to score. Unfortunately it was not meant to be for him.

Kim Min-Jae: B-

Kim Min-Jae was arguably the most dependable defender in the game...until he pulled a little bit too far left and lost his mark for the goal Bayer scored. To be fair to him, he won some important aerial duels and was very solid in tracking back and defending corners, crosses, and balls into the box. He did miss a few good chances to score, however, with the biggest one being a very good header chance at the very end of the first half. Overall, he put in some solid work but was substituted in the 84th minute to allow Tel to come on and shift to a more offensive layout and give Bayern a better chance to get some shooting chances. I think Kim will be disappointed in his inability to have affected the game in a more positive way.

Alphonso Davies: A-

I actually thought Alphonso Davies was one of the standout players for Bayern. He was very efficient in using his speed to get beyond the midfield lines and get some passes through the defense, although none of the chances he created were able to be taken. He showed very good ball control and was able to get a few Leverkusen players to bite on skills that he performed, but his final pass was somewhat inadequate, as he would put a great ball into the box or lay it back perfectly half the time, and the rest of the time it would be a little short. Regardless, Davies never stopped working hard defensively, used his body well on a few occasions, and linked up well with Jamal Musiala in the middle of the park and the final third. Unfortunately, he was a little lackadaisical on the buildup to the goal and allowed Tella to open up space and score the game-winner.